


This Was Fine

by MissOverlord



Category: Puyo Puyo (Video Games)
Genre: Biting, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Doubt, Supportive Partners
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28319364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissOverlord/pseuds/MissOverlord
Summary: After the chaos that brought them closer, Klug's old insecurities return with a vengeance. Is it fine, really..?
Relationships: Klug/Sig (Puyo Puyo)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 40





	1. Intentions

This was  _ fine! _ Truly! There certainly wasn't anything strange about being settled on a sofa next to his boyfriend. Perfectly normal! So... why did Klug feel perilously close to fainting? As though the beating of his heart wasn't already too loud for his liking, the rush of frantically-pumped blood blocked out every other sound to his weary ears. If Sig said anything to him, asked him something, he wasn't confident of picking it out from the cacophony already causing a ruckus in the privacy of his own aching head.

Even worse, his cyan-haired companion had been looking at him benignly as ever, mismatched eyes occasionally blinking from behind the hap-hazard arrangement of bangs. It wasn't that he minded being looked at, just… he didn't know what it meant, if it meant anything at all. How could he respond appropriately without divining the intent..?

The only two options available were either to ignore the curious stare or… or give in and simply  _ ask _ about it. Between the possibly cruel and the unromantic, Klug was realistically left with a single course of action. Clearing his throat in preparation, the celestial mage swallowed his pride before finally opening his mouth.

"S-Sig, do you, ah,  _ want  _ something? N-not that I  _ mind, _ you understand, only… it's b-been a few minutes, and…" Hitting a mental roadblock, the scholar quieted, now uncertain of what he'd intended to say. As it was, it sounded as though he were complaining, which couldn't be further from the trut-

"Mhm..? Maybe." Antenne-like puffs giving a subtle twitch, the bug catcher hummed, still watching the increasingly fidgety mage. As the bookworm wriggled, Sig seemed to have a change of heart as he murmured, "maybe not. Seem kinda stressed…"

It wasn't an inaccurate assessment. Klug lived much of his life in a self-inflicted state of near panic. The tension would remain even if the quiet demi-demon did nothing, choosing to zone out or nap or a number of other options that didn't involve the green-eyed magic user at all.

If he was doomed to fall victim to his anxiety either way, Klug figured he might try to get  _ something _ for his worries, so he protested. "N-no! It's fine, I'm fine, and… and I'd like to do, ah, s-something. If you wanted to, I mean."

"You sure? Don't need to, Klug. Hanging out's good." The peaceful tone, the unexpectant hint of a smile… was Sig even aware that they only made him more interested, more desperate to do something,  _ anything _ with the sleepy-eyed student?

"I'd… I'd really like to do more. This is just… I'm still not used to being  _ with _ someone. It's a bit stressful, but I want it regardless, if that makes any sense." To desire and to dread at the same time… Klug's innermost workings were a mystery to himself, sometimes. It was unlikely that anyone could make sense of the twisted, tangled ball of his emotions.

Sig paused, unblinking, either in silent contemplation or indulging in a sudden cat-nap. Much to his chagrin, the academic had yet to discern many hints to tell one apart from the other. It remained a mystery until the half-soul spoke again. "Mhm, 's hard for you. Don't mind being hugged..?"

  
_ That  _ was all Sig had wanted of him?! He'd gotten so wound up over such a minor act of affection?! To merely be hugged… it seemed disappointing, somehow. Anticlimactic. He'd still accept it, anyway, sliding a little closer to his friend with open arms. "I don't mind, no. Honestly… you don't need to ask me for this, Sig."


	2. Tension

Klug was nearly always like this, the mellow demi-demon reflected, eliciting a soft squeak from his bookworm as he pulled the boy closer. While he couldn't fully grasp 'why' the mage seemed constantly surprised by his offered affections, he'd accepted it like any other quirk. The mage _wanted_ to be held, he knew, but hesitated to say so. Maybe Klug felt weird 'bothering' him..?

"Don't mind, you know," he seemed to purr, nuzzling into the flighty scholar's neck. The familiar, clean scent of soap had been tainted by a salty note. _So nervous,_ he noted, his fingers flexing in an unconscious effort to keep his boyfriend from bolting… not that that had ever happened. _Yet._

"Wh-what don't you mind..? I… I feel like I've _missed_ something, and…" The chattering trailed off, leaving the celestial mage's thought unfinished. In this state, a completed one was a rarity, something to be treasured.

"Being asked. _Mmh…_ 'd like it if you did, Bunny." His peaceful rumbling deepened, unbroken even as he kissed what little skin the rabbit-y magic user's shirt collar left exposed. Klug's hands, which had been resting loosely over his hips up to that point, jerked and stiffened before gradually splaying out into a more natural, relaxed grip. Getting his friend to unwind was tedious, maybe, but being a decent bug catcher required patience… and Sig was very, _very_ good at waiting on his prey.

_"I-I..!_ I...I know." What started as a high-pitched yelp evened out, almost becoming calm despite the deep color of the insecure book lover's cheeks. Little by little, the tension that had so tightly coiled inside seemed to be easing. Klug's tiny groans were barely audible even to Sig's keen ears, but the satisfaction in them couldn't be mistaken.

The bespectacled scholar seemed content to let him do as he wished, unconcerned that the clawed fingertips of the half-soul might catch or tear something. He tried to be careful, all too aware of the excessive strength his out-of-place limb really had. Trying to undo the sky-blue satin as delicately as possible, Klug finally interrupted, the mage's thin digits wrapping around his reddish, sandy-feeling hand.

  
"I-it's easier if I… a- _ha,_ there, see? Slides right off." Though the green-eyed mage smiled, it was apologetic, as though he'd robbed Sig of something by removing the cravat himself.


	3. Interruption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sulky Klug.

Klug only had a moment to dwell on his nagging guilt before a tug at his clothes and the distinct sound of a zip being undone caught his attention. Expected, of course… why remove the ribbon unless one wanted to undo the high-collared vest, as well? Sightlessly, he shrugged free of the garment, letting it drop carelessly to the floor.

The partial demon was sweet but a little on the predictable si-..!

Alright, maybe his boyfriend _wasn't_ as predictable as he'd thought. Still, this wasn't the first time Sig's teeth were pressed against his throat, mostly blunt with the occasional point poking here and there. With nowhere to go, the moist warmth of each breath washed over the small patch of trapped flesh. Klug still wasn't certain just _why_ the faux-bites thrilled him this way, an involuntary shudder running up his spine as he shut his eyes, indulging in the strange sensation. As anxious as the bibliophile could be, this didn't bother him, trusting that Sig would be careful.

… And yet...

It felt stupid, really, that he'd entrust his neck to his boyfriend yet not a replaceable sliver of sky-blue satin. That _had_ to be confusing for his partner, he realized, maybe even insulting. And over such a petty, worthless scrap of cloth. With such warped priorities, how… how could anyone endure that for long? In time even someone as sweet and oblivious as the partial demon nibbling at his neck would tire of the inconsistencies in his behavior, odd contradictions that didn't make any obvious sense. Eventually Sig would start avoiding him, finding new and exciting excuses to steer clear of him, just like his par-

"U-um…"

The sudden sound broke through his cocoon of self-induced melancholy, made him stiffen suddenly and… and notice that Sig had stopped, instead staring once again with those ridiculously pretty mismatched eyes. What had the book lover done to ruin things _this_ time? Honestly, he missed the chaos of the earliest days in their relationship, when his presence had been of real comfort to his struggling friend. The caustic parts of his personality had still existed but had been easier to ignore when he'd felt needed. Now they'd reemerged with a sadistic vengeance, corroding and wearing holes in the genuine self-confidence he'd earned in the brief period when he'd really felt useful. It… it really wasn't fai-

Klug saw stars in the moment he'd been roughly drawn toward his peculiar classmate, bright pinpricks receding as he pulled air into his straining lungs. He… he hadn't noticed them feeling so _tight_ within his chest, even before Sig had knocked the air out of them. His face felt oddly damp, too, but the bug catcher had only been nipping at his neck, so why-?

"Started crying," his companion murmured, head ducked as though it had been his own fault, somehow. "Wasn't sure why. Aren't hurt? Mighta been too rough or… or something…"

Unsure of what to say, Klug's face fell as he hugged the boyfriend he was increasingly sure he didn't deserve, not purely out of affection but as a way to keep the confused demi-demon from leaving. He tried to speak, but instead of words only a useless croak emerged. _Fitting for you, really._

  
Even if Sig could read minds, the mage would bet a year's allowance that making sense of the twisted mass of thoughts and emotions would be an impossible task. A day, a month, a year… it wouldn't matter, it would _still_ be impossible to work with.


	4. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Broken things can still be precious.

With nothing to go on apart from his teary-eyed sweetheart clinging to his chest, Sig was reasonably sure now that he hadn't hurt his bookworm by mistake, at least on the outside. Inside was another matter entirely. His catch _had_ been nervous, so… so maybe he'd pushed too far? They'd done more in the past, but it didn't mean that stuff was _always_ okay to just do, but… _mhh,_ this sort of thing was so complicated.

Risking a headache, he tried mulling over events, trying to suss out just what had led to this. Since Klug didn't seem to be letting go of his chest anytime soon, it probably wouldn't make things worse to hug his friend, to just drape his arms around the trembling body without squeezing.

His classmate seemed so much smaller like this, crumpled uncomfortably and forming a ball of building tension. Slowly, Sig ran his right hand, his normal one, up and down the bookworm's back, ruffling the dress shirt a little with each deliberate stroke, a gentle drone building in his throat. He wanted to be _comforting,_ not smothering. "Won't push you, Klug, 's fine. Um, don't mind this? Can get the vest back if it's… if it'll help, or…"

"... -Ymore," a broken word, one that barely registered, came from his catch's mouth, quieting Sig as he strained to hear more. "-'S not your fault. Just… y-you don't need me anymore. I was… was _helpful,_ but now I'm…"

"Klug…"

"I-I'm _not,"_ the distressed scholar's throat closed, 'not' barely getting out as a high-pitched choke. It seemed to strangle him, breath hitching so hard that it _had_ to be painful.

Klug had always been hard on himself for as long as the bug catcher could remember. Defeats were brought on by errors in his own planning or judgement. The rare mistake in classwork meant he wasn't studying hard enough, that he'd been too lax on himself. He even shouldered the blame for that whole possession incident, even if what the little red demon's soul had been misleading, at best. If he hadn't listened to Strange's whispers, hadn't unleashed the cackling entity in hopes of gaining some of the demon's arcane power… the whole mess would never have happened. He'd put Sig and so many others in harm's way, a metaphorical knife wedged deeply into his back when the crimson spectre betrayed him. _Everything_ he'd suffered had been caused by his own substantial hubris.

At least, that's how the mage saw things. Attempts to convince him otherwise usually fell on deaf ears, at best.

"So..? Still wanna be with you," Sig let out a slow, measured breath as he reassured his companion, "don't gotta be useful to be loved."

"B-but I… th- _this…_ I haven't _earned i-it~!"_ With a mortifying squawk, the book lover jumped as a hand ran over his hip and stayed there, exerting the mildest pressure.

"And..?"

**Author's Note:**

> Still writing, kinda recovering from a surgery right now <3


End file.
